Who We Are

ELD International LLC

ELD International was founded in 1993 to provide consulting services internationally to the financial and legal services industries. The consultancy was built from Leigh Dance’s senior management experience in financial and legal services from 1982-92 in the U.S. and globally. ELD International is a limited liability corporation. Since its founding ELD has assisted in the launch of dozens of new products, services and new businesses for law firms, banks, insurance brokerages and other financial and legal services organizations in more than 30 countries, and developed and executed hundreds of strategic projects for and with clients.

E. Leigh Dance, President

For 20 years, law firms worldwide have launched services and won corporate and institutional clients with Leigh Dance’s advice. ELD International’s strategies and tactics for international business competition in more than 25 countries on all continents have helped firms like Eversheds win major corporate legal work across three dozen jurisdictions. Leigh Dance has helped numerous law firms with the launch of new offices and integration of merged offices, as well as to improve productivity and performance of international offices. Head of ELD International, Dance speaks three languages and travels worldwide on projects with diverse law firms, international networks and other legal service providers.

E. Leigh Dance, President, ELD International LLC

Founder and Executive Director of the Global Counsel Leaders Circle, Dance also works closely with the largest buyers of legal services around the world. She has advised many global corporate legal teams on law firm panel competitions, law firm management, alternative sourcing, emerging markets, compliance and other areas. ELD’s corporate counsel clients have included many of the world’s premier corporations.

Dance’s international network of private practice and corporate counsel contacts gives her a rare perspective on business development in legal services today. Peter Kalis, Chairman and Global Managing Partner of K&L Gates, said, “The legal industry is a time machine speeding through generations of change in the blink of an eye. Leigh Dance understands that such movement doesn’t count as progress unless it is infused with bright ideas and intelligent execution.”

Leigh holds an MBA magna cum laude in International Management from Thunderbird School of International Management and a BA in International Relations cum laude from University of Delaware. She worked in public policy in Washington DC and New York, and was a VP of The Chase Manhattan Bank for 7 years with long-term assignments in Paris, London and Hong Kong, before entering the legal services arena, where she began as a law firm strategy and marketing director.

Her articles on competitive strategies for international law firms and on key issues for corporate counsel have been published in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and dozens of other national and international publications including American Lawyer, Legal Week, and Corporate Counsel magazine.

Since 1995 Leigh and her family have lived between Europe and North America. Her base in Europe was Rome from 1995-2010 and is now Brussels.

Alliances

ELD International LLC has a number of strategic alliances with consultants who bring needed expertise for certain projects. ELD International also draws on the resources of a number of partners.
ELD’s most prominent alliances and partners are provided below.

Deborah McMurray

Ross Fishman Marketing, Inc. is a Chicago-based marketing firm specializing in serving the legal profession. Its primary focus is client development, marketing strategies and branding for law firms across North America. Ross Fishman also provides comprehensive instruction programs, training attorneys on how to maximize profitability through various client management workshops. With a simple philosophy of “linking creativity to profits,” the agency prides itself on providing an efficient, tangible approach to business development.

Ann Lee Gibson Consulting advises law firms on new business development. She consults, teaches, and coaches in the areas of high-stakes competitions, competitive intelligence, and sales presentations. Ann also helps law firms develop sophisticated competitive intelligence and proposal systems. As a business development consultant, Ann has helped law firms compete for and win over $500 million in new business.

Deborah McMurray Associates. Deborah McMurray is CEO and Strategy Architect of Content Pilot LLC and has also served as managing principal of Deborah McMurray Associates. She advises law firms on strategic marketing initiatives that focus a firm’s strategy and its marketing investments. Deborah and her creative team develop targeted positioning and branding strategies for firms throughout the U.S., including the creation of Web sites and Web-based proposal centers, collateral, advertising campaigns and other print and electronic brochures and materials.
A co-author of the ABA’s recent book, Lawyer’s Guide to Marketing on the Internet, 2nd ed. (the third edition will be published Spring 2007) and co-editor of Lawyer’s Guide to Marketing your Practice, 2nd ed., Deborah is an authority on the design and development of top law firm Web sites. She serves as strategy architect and team leader for these projects, overseeing the projects and the Content Pilot creative and development team.

Barbara B. Miller Communication is recognized as a leader in Communications Training and Consulting in the US and abroad. Barbara has trained thousands of clients on the benefits of using communications as a strategic tool for client growth. Her services for lawyers include skill-building courses – to help attorneys of all ages improve their communications in the office, as well as performance in the courtroom. She helps attorneys make firm clients feel “invested in,” and as a result, loyal to their firms. Her background as a public speaker and TV talk show host is the foundation in her work with lawyers–training them to be knowledgeable and credible as communicators.

NOTABLE QUOTE

“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction."
- Bill Gates

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